Study: Adolescent Marijuana Use in Canada Has Dropped Nearly 50% Since 2008

Marijuana use among adolescents in Canada has declined significantly in recent years, and fewer teens say that the substance is easy to obtain, according to a new study published in the journal Preventive Medicine.

For the study, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario assessed teen marijuana use trends for the years 2004 to 2015. Researchers reported that adolescent use fell nearly 50% between the years 2008/2009 and 2014/2015. The percentage of teens who acknowledged that accessing cannabis “would be easy” fell nearly 40% between 2006/2007 and 2014/2015.

“Overall, cannabis use among Canadian youth appears to have peaked around 2008/09, with substantial declines over the past decade,” states researchers.

Adolescent marijuana use rates in the United States have followed a similar decline over the better part of the past two decades. The researchers published separate data in January finding that few Canadians who consume cannabis meet criteria for problematic use.

Earlier this month, Canada legalized the use and sale of cannabis to those age 18 and older.

The full text of the study, titled Trends in cannabis use over time among Canadian youth: 2004-2014, appears in Preventive Medicine.